OldRacingCars.com

British Grand Prix

Silverstone, 14 Jul 1951

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 José Froilán Gonzalez Ferrari 375/50 ['2'] - V12
#12 Scuderia Ferrari (see note 1)
90 2h 42m 18.2s
2 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 159 - s/c 8
#2 Alfa Romeo SpA
90 2h 43m 09.2s
3 Luigi Villoresi Ferrari 375 [375-3] - V12
#10 Scuderia Ferrari
88 2h 43m 18.6s
4 Felice Bonetto Alfa Romeo 159 - s/c 8
#4 Alfa Romeo SpA
87 2h 43m 07.4s
5 Reg Parnell BRM V16 Mk I 'P15' [No 1] - s/c V16
#6 BRM Limited (see note 2)
85 2h 42m 46.6s
6 Consalvo Sanesi Alfa Romeo 159 - s/c 8
#3 Alfa Romeo SpA
84 2h 42m 39.8s
7 Peter Walker BRM V16 Mk I 'P15' [No 2] - s/c V16
#7 BRM Limited (see note 3)
84 2h 43m 23.0s
8 Brian Shawe-Taylor ERA C Type [R8C] - s/c 6
#9 B N Shawe-Taylor (see note 4)
84 2h 43m 55.8s
9 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 375 Thin Wall Special [125-C-02] - V12
#14 G A Vandervell (see note 5)
83 2h 43m 02.0s
10 Louis Rosier Talbot T26C-DA [110 053] 6
#22 Écurie Rosier (see note 6)
83 2h 43m 08.6s
11 Bob Gerard ERA B Type [R14B] - s/c 6
#8 F R Gerard Racing (see note 7)
82 2h 43m 30.4s
12 Duncan Hamilton Talbot T26C [110 011] 6
#18 J D Hamilton (see note 8)
81 2h 42m 32.2s
13 Johnny Claes Talbot T26C-DA [110 052] 6
#25 Écurie Belge (see note 9)
80 2h 44m 05.0s
14 Joe Kelly Alta GP [No 3] - s/c 4
#5 J Kelly (see note 10)
75
R Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo 159 - s/c 8
#1 Alfa Romeo SpA
75 Clutch
R Alberto Ascari Ferrari 375 [375-4] - V12
#11 Scuderia Ferrari
55 Gearbox
R Philip Fotheringham-Parker Maserati 4CL [1585] - s/c 4
#17 J D Hamilton & P Fotheringham-Parker
(see note 11)
46 Oil leak
R David Murray Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] - s/c 4
#15 Scuderia Ambrosiana (see note 12)
45 Engine
R Louis Chiron Talbot T26C [110 001] 6
#23 Écurie Rosier (see note 13)
41 Brakes
R John James Maserati 4CLT-48 ['P1'] - s/c 4
#16 J M James (see note 14)
23 Radiator leak
DNA Maurice Trintignant Simca-Gordini T15 - T16C s/c 4
#19 Équipe Gordini
Did not arrive
DNA Robert Manzon Simca-Gordini T15 - T16C s/c 4
#20 Équipe Gordini
Did not arrive
DNA André Simon Simca-Gordini T15 - T16C s/c 4
#21 Équipe Gordini
Did not arrive
DNA Philippe Étancelin Talbot T26C-DA [110 054] 6
#24 P Étancelin (see note 15)
Did not arrive

All cars are 1.5-litre s/c F1 or 4.5-litre F1 unless noted.

Qualifying
1 José Froilán Gonzalez (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Ferrari 375/50 ['2'] - Ferrari V12 1m 43.4s
2 Juan Manuel Fangio (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Alfa Romeo 159 - Alfa Romeo s/c 8 1m 44.4s
3 Giuseppe Farina (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Alfa Romeo 159 - Alfa Romeo s/c 8 1m 45.0s
4 Alberto Ascari (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Ferrari 375 [375-4] - Ferrari V12 1m 45.4s
5 Luigi Villoresi (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Ferrari 375 [375-3] - Ferrari V12 1m 45.8s
6 Consalvo Sanesi (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Alfa Romeo 159 - Alfa Romeo s/c 8 1m 50.2s
7 Felice Bonetto (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Alfa Romeo 159 - Alfa Romeo s/c 8 1m 52.0s
8 Peter Whitehead (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Ferrari 375 Thin Wall Special [125-C-02] - Ferrari V12 1m 54.6s
9 Louis Rosier (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Talbot T26C-DA [110 053] - Talbot 6 1m 56.0s
10 Bob Gerard (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre ERA B Type [R14B] - ERA s/c 6 1m 57.0s
11 Duncan Hamilton (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Talbot T26C [110 011] - Talbot 6 1m 57.2s
12 Brian Shawe-Taylor (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre ERA C Type [R8C] - ERA s/c 6 1m 58.2s
13 Louis Chiron (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Talbot T26C [110 001] - Talbot 6 2m 00.2s
14 Johnny Claes (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Talbot T26C-DA [110 052] - Talbot 6 2m 05.8s
15 David Murray (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] - Maserati s/c 4 2m 06.0s
16 Philip Fotheringham-Parker (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CL [1585] - Maserati s/c 4 2m 13.2s
17 John James (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CLT-48 ['P1'] - Maserati s/c 4 2m 17.0s
18 Joe Kelly (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Alta GP [No 3] - Alta s/c 4 2m 18.4s
19 Peter Walker (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre BRM V16 Mk I 'P15' [No 2] - BRM s/c V16 No time
20 Reg Parnell (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre BRM V16 Mk I 'P15' [No 1] - BRM s/c V16 No time

Notes on the cars:

  1. Ferrari 375/50 ['2'] (José Froilán Gonzalez): One of the pair of Ferrari 375s introduced at the 1950 Italian GP and marked 'GP/50/1'. Believed to be Ascari's car at Monza and then used by Ascari at the first two races of 1951. Then became the team's muletto and used by Gonzales to win the British GP and by Ascari to win at the Nürburgring. Last seen when raced by Chico Landi at the Italian GP. The car stamped '2' that was later owned by Rosier appears to be a late-51 375, not this 1950 car. Subsequent history unknown.
  2. BRM V16 Mk I 'P15' [No 1] (Reg Parnell): Raced by Ray Sommer 1950, Reg Parnell 1950-53, Fangio 1952-53 and Gonzalez 1952. Retired after the 1953 season but retained by Owen Organisation as an exhibition car. Bought by Dan Marguiles for a Greek consortium at Christie's Motorfair auction in October 1981. Subsquently sold to the National Motor Museum Trust. Retained 2007.
  3. BRM V16 Mk I 'P15' [No 2] (Peter Walker): Raced by Peter Walker 1950-51, Ken Wharton 1952-54, Gonzalez 1952-53, Moss and Reg Parnell 1952 and by Ron Flockhart once in 1954. Damaged during Wharton's win at Glover Trophy, Goodwood Apr 1954, stripped and scrapped.
  4. ERA C Type [R8C] (Brian Shawe-Taylor): Built in 1938 using mechanical parts from R8B and raced by Earl Howe 1938 and until a crash in the 1939 International Trophy. Then to Reg Parnell for 1946, Cuth Harrison from 1947 to 1951, Brian Shawe-Taylor 1951 and 1952; then a chain of other owners until acquired in 1977 by Bruce Spollon. Rebuilt to correct C-type specs and raced from 1981 to 2003.
  5. Ferrari 375 Thin Wall Special [125-C-02] (Peter Whitehead): Vandervell acquired a Tipo 125 for 1950 and entered it at the International Trophy for Ascari to drive. This car is now in the Donington Collection and is stamped 125-C-02 indicating it is one of the three 'GP49' cars but it was rebodied before the International Trophy so identifying whether it was Ascari's or Villoresi's regular car has not been possible.
  6. Talbot T26C-DA [110 053] (Louis Rosier): Built in 1950 using parts from '110 003' and raced for the works by Martin, Chaboud and Giraud-Cabantous in 1950 then by Rosier as a private entry in 1951. Driven by Trintignant for Ecurie Rosier in 1952, then Giraud-Cabantous 1952-53. Owned by Marceau Hauret 1955 and Houdayer (Paris) 1981. Raced from 1987-2000 by François d'Huart (Belgium) as '100105'.
  7. ERA B Type [R14B] (Bob Gerard): Johnny Wakefield 1938-39 and then Bob Gerard's main ERA from 1946 to 1953. Then via Jimmy Stuart to Donald Day in 1959. Apart from a short period, Day has owned it ever since. Recent drivers include Ted Rollason, Goff Tidball and Paul Richardson. Retained 2007.
  8. Talbot T26C [110 011] (Duncan Hamilton): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 011' was Johnny Claes car in 1948-50 and then sold to Duncan Hamilton (and Fotheringham-Parker) and raced 1951-53. Stored in France until 1955 when Hamilton sold it to Allan Freeman in New Zealand who raced it through to 1961. It was bought by Joe Hepworth in 1963 and returned to England; then via other UK and French owners until sold to Bernie Ecclestone 1996. Retained 2002.
  9. Talbot T26C-DA [110 052] (Johnny Claes): Built in 1950 using parts from '110 012' and raced for the works by Giraud-Cabantous, Sommer and, in Argentina, Gonzalez. To Claes for 1951 and then Ecurie Belgique (Claes and Pilette) 1952. Some differences of opinion over its ownership in the 1950s but then via UK and German owners until 1987. Next seen with Peter Mullin (USA) in 2001. Raced by Mullin at 2007 Monterey Historics.
  10. Alta GP [No 3] (Joe Kelly): The third GP Alta, 'GP3', was built for Joe Kelly and raced until 1951. Then extensively modified by Kelly as his 'IRA' special. This car was later acquired by Ray Fielding and fitted with a Jaguar engine. (Sources: Directory of Historic Racing Cars, Jenkinson; Powered by Jaguar 2nd Ed 2005, Nye)
  11. Maserati 4CL [1585] (Philip Fotheringham-Parker): Delivered on 30 Apr 1947 to Enrico Plate's team and driven by a variety of drivers from 1947 to 1949, including Emmanuel de Graffenried. Sold to Joe Fry for 1950, but passed after Fry's death in July 1950 to Duncan Hamilton and Philip Fotheringham-Parker who campaigned it in British races until then of the F1 formula in 1951. Campaigned widely in UK historic racing events by several British owners until passing to the current owner, Oliver Maierhofer (Germany) On display at Tubingen Motor Museum in 2007.
  12. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] (David Murray): Shown in Maserati records as Alberto Ascari's early 1948 car. To Reg Parnell 1949 for Fred Ashmore then raced in 1950 by David Hampshire and others as part of Scuderia Ambrosiana. Then David Murray's car for 1951. Crashed in practice at the Nürburgring for the 1951 German GP and not seen again.
  13. Talbot T26C [110 001] (Louis Chiron): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 001' was raced by Louis Rosier from 1948 to 1950 and then under the Ecurie Rosier banner by Pozzi in 1950; by Henri Louveau and Louis Chiron in 1951; and by Giraud-Cabantous, Chaboud and Mairesse in 1952. It was acquired by the Musée Henri Malatre at Rochetaillé, France, in 1956 and was still on display in 1990.
  14. Maserati 4CLT-48 ['P1'] (John James): In November 1950 Reg Parnell advertised a 4CLT as "virtually an English production of the 4CLT Maserati". Given the way Parnell and Maserati operated at this time, it would seem likely that the car was built from factory-supplied components but assembled in the UK for tax reasons. Roy Blomfield and John James bought this car and raced it; then it went to George Weaver in US together with Leslie Brooke's 1595. From Weaver's estate to Tom Wheatcroft by 1974 and now in the Donington Museum.
  15. Talbot T26C-DA [110 054] (Philippe Étancelin): Built for 1950 and raced for the works by Etancelin and Rosier, then Etancelin as a private entry 1951-54. To Terry Hall (US) 1955-57 (also driven by Ernie McAfee and Ignazio Lozano) before conversion to sportscar 1957 and then via a chain of US owners to Peter Giddings who had restored and rebodied by Steve Griswold. Raced by Giddings 1978-96 (and possibly later).

Formula 1 events 1948-1953

The results published here were compiled by David McKinney and Adam Ferrington from a range of sources including Autocourse, Motor Sport and Autosport, as well as the F1 Register's A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 5 covering 1950 and 1951. Individual car identities were then meticulously checked against their enormous libraries of books and photographs, notably Talbot-Lago de Course by Pierre Abeillon, Les Gordini by Robert Jarraud, Gordini – Un Sorcier, Une Equipe by Christian Huet and The History of English Racing Automobiles by David Weguelin.

David has also contributed extensively from his notes on car identities compiled over 40 years of research, Michael Müller has contributed immaculately researched histories of all the 1948-1950 Ferrari 125s, and Doug Nye, both through his books and his personal assistance on HWM, has also been of great help.

Please note that since David's sad death in 2014, Adam and Allen have agreed that these pages will remain unaltered from now on, as a lasting testimony to David's expertise.